Over a month ago, the big four carriers in the country signed the Keep Americans Connected Pledge. By signing this, they pledged to keep their subscribers connected for the next 60 days and to not cancel their service if they cannot pay their bills. The pledge also let subscribers stop worrying about encountering late fees they would otherwise incur with a late payment. A total of 650 wireless and internet companies signed this pledge.
A month later, it looks like some carriers are not living up to the terms of what they promised. As reported by NBC News, there have been some carriers that shut down the lines of customers who were unable to pay their wireless service.
According to the report, Sprint was one of the companies that shut down the service of one of its subscribers who was unable to pay his bill after he closed his salon. This came as a shock to the subscriber, especially since Sprint had originally sent him an email promising that his connection would not be affected during this time. Eventually, Sprint was able to reconnect his device. In addition to Sprint, Verizon also committed the same error by disconnecting the service of one of its users and even charged $360 to switch back the service.
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel addressed these concerns and called it unacceptable. “Promises made not to cut off essential communications service during this time need to be kept. The FCC needs to investigate every complaint for consumers who unfairly lose their service and help fix it fast.”
The carriers have reminded their subscribers to get in touch with them if they are unable to settle their bill. If you can’t reach your carrier, you may call the FCC at 1-888-225-5322 to report your situation.
